Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

"No...don't change it!"

Xie Xiaomei quickly raised her hand to stop her, then pursed her lips shyly:

"I'll watch it with you. I... I won't be afraid if I'm next to you."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen paused for a moment, then, without changing the disc, simply responded with a faint "Yes."

"it is good."

Xie Dajiao eavesdropped, quietly got out of bed, and peeked over her shoulder. Seeing the two of them close together, the atmosphere ambiguous, she couldn't suppress the smile playing on her lips. She quietly withdrew, tiptoed back onto the kang (heated brick bed), and was certain in her heart:

This matter is settled.

……

That evening, at Wang Changgui's house—

The room was deathly still, filled with the smell of smoke, making it hard to breathe.

The news that Yongqiang's job had fallen through spread throughout the village. There are no secrets in the village, and nothing can be hidden. A few old women would sit on the kang (a heated brick bed) and they would find out everything about his ancestors.

Xiangxiu didn't believe it at first, thinking that the villagers were just gossiping and watching the show. She called Yongqiang again and again, but no one answered.

She didn't go to Xie Yongqiang; instead, she asked a familiar villager for directions before finally accepting her fate.

The county education commission's staffing was completely abolished, and all the previously agreed-upon employment opportunities fell through. Xie Yongqiang could only stay at Xiangyashan Village Primary School as a temporary substitute teacher, receiving a monthly stipend of only a few hundred yuan, which was far from her expectations.

In an instant, all of Xiangxiu's hopes and dreams vanished completely.

Tears streamed down her face; she had no words to express her suffering.

When she agreed to the marriage, everyone in the village envied her. But only she knew that what she wanted was Yongqiang's secure job in the county, the status of a cadre's spouse, and the opportunity to move to the county and completely escape rural life.

In the end, it was all for naught.

Not only did he fail to climb the social ladder, but he became even worse off than before.

Yongqiang's current income is not even a fraction of what he earns running a transportation business.

Xiangxiu, who was extremely proud, could not accept this disparity at all. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved and unwilling she felt.

Wang Changgui sat on the bench, smoking silently. The ground around his feet was covered with cigarette butts, a disgusting sight.

He felt both ashamed and aggrieved. He had been secretly pleased with himself, thinking that he had found a rich son-in-law and that he would benefit from Yongqiang's success and be able to hold his head high in the village. He had even tolerated Yongqiang's mistreatment of his daughter during their engagement.

Now, they've become the laughingstock of the whole village.

Hearing his daughter's intermittent sobs from the inner room, Wang Changgui felt extremely irritated. He went over and leaned against the door, saying:

"Alright, stop crying! What's the use of crying? The matter is already settled!"

"Mayor Qi specifically instructed that Yongqiang should focus on being a substitute teacher for now, and then try to get promoted later. You've just gotten engaged and you're already throwing a tantrum and acting all high and mighty. If word gets out, won't the villagers laugh at our family for being materialistic? Just stay calm and don't cause any trouble!"

Just then, soft footsteps came from the courtyard gate. Xie Lan followed Pi Changshan over with fruit to visit. At Xie Guangkun's request, she came over to exchange pleasantries and check on Xiangxiu's situation.

The two went inside and sat down, exchanging a few simple pleasantries. No matter how immoral or snobbish Pi Changshan was, he wouldn't go so far as to kick someone when they were down in front of Xiangxiu at Changgui's house. He understood this basic social etiquette.

Looking at the oppressive atmosphere in the room, Xie Lan sighed inwardly and softly comforted Xiangxiu, telling her not to dwell on things too much.

Pi Changshan sat beside him, holding a teacup, remaining silent throughout, occasionally nodding and offering a few words of agreement.

After staying for only a few minutes, seeing that the father and daughter were in a bad mood, the couple didn't want to disturb them any longer. They simply said goodbye and left Changgui's house.

Once he got home, as soon as he closed the door, the composure and politeness that Pi Changshan had put on in front of outsiders instantly crumbled completely.

He plopped down in the chair, his face full of disgust and disdain, and started complaining.

"I told you long ago that Xie Yongqiang is unreliable, all talk and no action, and impatient and restless. He's simply not cut out for public service! It's just your family showing off. You were always bragging before, and now you've been proven wrong, haven't you?"

Xie Lan was already feeling suffocated, and upon hearing his words, she instantly became angry, frowning as she said:

"Can't you watch your mouth? Yongqiang is in a bad situation now, he's lost his job and his marriage is in jeopardy, and you're still at home making sarcastic remarks, is that meaningful?"

"I'm not making sarcastic remarks; I'm telling the truth!"

Pi Changshan was instantly enraged, and his voice suddenly rose:

"Back then, the whole village was praising him, and you were the only one who blindly followed suit! I knew long ago that job was unstable!"

Xie Lan was furious at his unreasonable behavior and refused to give an inch.

"Back when Yongqiang was riding high, didn't you call him 'Brother Yongqiang' all the time? You were just hoping to get some of his glory! Now that he's down on his luck, you're kicking him while he's down. You're so materialistic!"

The couple argued fiercely on the spot, their faces flushed and necks red, neither willing to back down.

Pi Changshan was enraged and his face instantly darkened, his eyes filled with calculation and threat.

"Fine, Xie Lan, you're amazing. You can argue with me and get angry with me without any problem!"

"But remember this well: I'm the principal of Ivory Mountain Village Primary School! When I'm mistreated or frustrated outside, and have nowhere to vent my anger, I can only take it out on the teachers at the school!"

"Your younger brother, Xie Yongqiang, is now working as a substitute teacher under me. He's under my supervision and my control! You should think carefully about whether he'll have an easy time at school from now on!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Lan froze on the spot, her anger instantly extinguished by a bucket of cold water.

"What, what else do you want to do to your brother-in-law?"

"You figure it out yourself."

She knew Pi Changshan's petty nature all too well. He was narrow-minded, vengeful, and loved to settle personal scores. If she really offended him, he would definitely find a way to make things difficult for Yongqiang.

For a moment, Xie Lan was both angry and frustrated, unable to utter a single word in rebuttal. The room fell silent, with only Pi Changshan's heavy breathing remaining, creating a tense atmosphere.

The next morning, Li Daguo drove his half-truck and parked it in front of the clinic.

He turned off the engine, quickly jumped out of the car, and went through the gate.

Wang Xiangxiu sat on the stool, her face haggard. She hadn't slept well all night and looked listless, with no energy at all.

Li Daguo stood outside the window, looking at her like this. He knew exactly what was going on, but he pretended to be distressed and went over to comfort her gently.

Don't feel awkward. The two of them had met a few times before, especially when Xiangxiu got engaged. Li Daguo was busy with all the arrangements at that time, so the two of them were already quite familiar with each other.

"Xiangxiu, I heard about Yongqiang's situation last night. Please don't take it too seriously. It's not worth getting yourself upset."

He first offered gentle words of comfort, then subtly shifted his tone, beginning to belittle Yongqiang and elevate himself without making a sound.

"To be honest, being a substitute teacher sounds respectable and stable, but in reality, there's not much of a future. You're stuck in this small mountain village your whole life, earning a meager fixed salary at best, and you'll never get rich no matter how hard you try."

Seeing that Xiangxiu kept her head down and didn't refute, Li Daguo became even bolder and took another half step forward.

"Look at me, although I don't have a formal government job, I work hard and diligently as a transporter at Liu Yishui's farm, and I earn much more in a month than a teacher."

"I'll work hard for two years, save enough money to buy a house, and you know what I'm thinking. I'm so proud of you. If you come with me, I'll definitely listen to you in everything, work hard to earn money, and never let you suffer any grievances."

Xiangxiu rolled her eyes at him and said irritably:

"Get lost, what are you doing here!"

After saying that, he closed the window of the clinic.

Li Daguo wasn't annoyed. Since he had nothing else to do, he decided to stay there and not leave. He spoke sweetly, saying exactly what Xiangxiu wanted to hear.

He made comparisons, both overt and covert, highlighting Xie Yongqiang's incompetence, rigidity, and lack of prospects, while contrasting himself with Xie Yongqiang's ability to endure hardship, earn money, and care for others.

Xiangxiu was already feeling wronged and extremely disappointed, and she harbored a deep sense of resentment.

With Li Daguo's constant pampering and care, the scales in her heart gradually tipped.

Previously, she only regarded the glib-tongued Li Daguo as an ordinary friend, or even not a friend at all. But after the Yongqiang incident, her attitude towards Li Daguo softened considerably. She no longer deliberately avoided him or spoke coldly to him.

Li Daguo took in all her changes and was secretly overjoyed and extremely pleased with himself.

He had long coveted Xiangxiu. Xie Yongqiang had previously held a high-ranking position in the county and enjoyed immense prestige. Knowing the gap between them was too great, he dared not provoke or compete with him.

Now that Yongqiang has fallen to rock bottom, it is the perfect opportunity for him to take advantage of the situation.

Li Daguo secretly vowed that as long as he persisted in being attentive and performed well, he would eventually be able to pry open Xiangxiu's thigh—no, her heart—and completely steal this marriage.

……

The days have become much shorter; it was completely dark in Ivory Mountain by just seven o'clock.

Lin Chen turned on all the lights in his house, which was his habit, and he was just that extravagant. The main reason was that there were almost no mosquitoes in the house.

There was an old camphor wood chest in the corner, untouched for many years. Lin Chen squatted on the ground, slowly rummaging through the broken pieces inside the chest.

Old clothes, yellowed books, and a jumble of old objects were dumped out one by one and casually gathered at my feet. The items inside carried the unique musty smell of old wood and old things.

Suddenly, a car pulled into the yard and stopped, followed by the soft sound of the engine being turned off.

Without even looking, I knew it was Xie Xiaomei who had returned.

She's been going to the farm every day lately, and it's inconvenient to travel back and forth, so she's been driving Lin Chen's car. The villagers are used to it and don't find it strange anymore.

The door was gently pushed open, and Xie Xiaomei felt a refreshing breeze as soon as she entered. She quickly closed the door to avoid letting mosquitoes in.

Xie Xiaomei walked in carrying a small bag. She had been busy at the factory all day and had a slight fatigue on her face, but the moment she saw Lin Chen, all her fatigue seemed to disappear.

Looking down, she saw the old things scattered all over the floor, and immediately smiled and said:

"Brother Chen, what are you doing? Why did you suddenly decide to rummage through this old box?"

"Since I had nothing better to do, I thought I'd take a look at what's in here. And you know what? I actually found some childhood memories here, quite a few things from my childhood."